Cara Raether and Lyonell Win HITS Ocala $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix

OCALA, Florida (March 5, 2015): The fourteen horses in a fast-paced jump-off in Thursday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala led to four lead changes, out of which Cara Raether of North Palm Beach, Florida, riding Lyonell, owned by Trelawny Farm LLC, came out on top. Raether was the fourth to go clear in the jump-off and held on to her lead in 43.049 seconds for the hotly contested win.

In second place was Amanda Flint of Long Valley, New Jersey, riding the Coverboy Group’s Superbad, finishing in 43.338. Rounding out third was Jonathan McCrea of East Windsor, Connecticut, in 43.587 seconds on Aristoteles V, owned by Candy Tribble and Windsor Show Stables.

During the jump-off, the first to go clear was Dr. Fernando Cardenas of New Hill, North Carolina, riding his own Quincy Car, who stopped the clock at 45.427. His lead was short-lived as McCrea and Aristoteles V went one better, slicing off a fraction of a second. Flint, on Superbad, went even more quickly, and looked impossible to beat until Raether took her shot at the prize. Crossing the timers nearly three-tenths of a second faster, Raether relegated Flint to second place. Jared Petersen of Archer, Florida, riding Derek Petersen’s Titus 2:11, finished fourth with a time of 44.444, dropping Cardenas to fifth place.

After the class, Raether said, “I didn’t think Amanda could be beaten, but my horse has a big stride and I just went with the numbers. The courses have been great all week. They asked the right questions and you could really get going. Lyonell is 14-years-old and I’ve had him for eight years, so we know each other really well.”

Florencio Hernandez, of Mexico City, Mexico, designed the course.

Time change: Please note the Great American American $1 Million Grand Prix is now scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 23, 2015.

Tickets are on sale now! General Admission is $10, or enjoy all the benefits of Day VIP for $100. To order, go to OcalaTix.com (online service fee applies), visit the HITS Post Time Farm Horse Show Office or call the office at 352.867.0508.

(c) ESI PhotographyCara Raether and Lyonell, owned by Trelawny Farm LLC, won the blue in the $25,000 SmartPark Grand Prix, held Thursday, March 5, 2015, at HITS Ocala.

$25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix - HITS Ocala - Week VIII

Place

Horse

Owner

Rider

Prize

Rd. 1 Faults

JO Faults

JO Time

1

Lyonell

Trelawny Farm LLC

Cara Raether

$7,500

0

0

43.049

2

Superbad

The Coverboy Group

Amanda Flint

$5,500

0

0

43.338

3

Aristoteles V

Candy Tribble & Windsor Show Stables, Inc.

Jonathan McCrea

$3,250

0

0

43.587

4

Titus 2:11

Derek Petersen

Jared Petersen

$2,000

0

0

44.444

5

Quincy Car

Dr. Fernando Cardenas

Dr. Fernando Cardenas

$1,500

0

0

45.427

6

Fleur Roosters Van Betz

Iron Horse Farm

Karina Aziz

$1,250

0

0

50.086

7

Cooper

Devin Ryan

Devin Ryan

$1,000

0

4

42.126

8

VDL Wittinger

Amanda Flint

Amanda Flint

$750

0

4

44.097

9

Cassevel

Hays Investment Corp.

Hunter Holloway

$750

0

4

45.237

10

FVF Sailor Man

Fox View Farm

Maryann Charles

$500

0

4

45.330

11

Tamara 296

Brian Walker

Brian Walker

$500

0

4

46.491

12

Chacco's Goldy

Iron Horse Farm

Karina Aziz

$500

0

4

48.018

Stephanie Collier and Finnegan Win Brook Ledge Open Welcome

Stephanie Collier from Westfield, Indiana, riding Danielle Brown’s Finnegan pulled off the win in Wednesday’s Brook Ledge Open Welcome by two-tenths of a second over second-place finisher Amy Millar of Perth, Ontario, riding AMMO Investment’s Heros.

Eight jumped clear in the first round. In the jump-off, three riders rode double-clear with Millar maintaining a three-second lead at 38.314 over eventual third-place finisher Jonathan McCrea of East Windsor, Connecticut, who rode Captain Jack and clocked in at 41.327. Millar's mark held up until Collier and Finnegan trotted into the ring. Finnegan rubbed a few rails, but left all of them in their cups to finish in 38.109 for the win.

Collier said of the 11-year-old Irish-bred Finnegan, “The girl [Brown] that owns him did the junior jumpers and when she went to school and didn’t have time for him, I was fortunate enough to get the ride. He hasn’t seen a lot of tracks like this. I thought the course was fantastic. It was one of those courses that was really active but not trappy.”

Hernandez also designed the Brook Ledge course.

Brook Ledge Open Welcome - HITS Ocala - Week VIII

Place

Horse

Owner

Rider

Prize

Rd. 1 Faults

JO Faults

JO Time

1

Finnegan

Danielle Brown

Stefanie Collier

$750

0

0

38.109

2

Heros

AMMO Investments

Amy Millar

$450

0

0

38.314

3

Captain Jack

Candy Tribble & Windsor Show Stables, Inc.

Jonathan McCrea

$300

0

0

41.327

4

Bogart

K and L Par Three LLC

Katia Manuel-Adams

$250

0

4

40.487

5

Cescha M

Les Ecuries de la Chaudiere

Grace Long

$200

0

4

42.247

6

Quitaire

Badger Hill Farm LLC

Grace Long

$200

0

4

42.675

7

Canterbury

Nevergreen Farm LLC

Brian Feigus

$175

0

8

39.961

8

Golden Gun

Katherine Dewar

Katherine Dewar

$150

0

12

42.669

About SmartPak SmartPak Equine was created in 1999 by riders and horse owners, for riders and horse owners. With experience in Hunter/Jumper, Equitation, Dressage, Polo and Reining, SmartPak’s founders have logged many miles in horse country. SmartPak’s mission is to provide a simplified approach to administering nutritional supplements and medications to horses across America. Embraced by riders of all disciplines, SmartPak offers a broad line of horse health, products, show apparel, tack, and equine pharmaceuticals through their catalogs and website.

About Brook Ledge Brook Ledge and the people behind the name are committed to providing the most outstanding service in horse transportation. Whether your horses are champions or companions, they are equally important and will receive the highest care and attention. Brook Ledge has become synonymous with comfort, care and safety in horse transportation.

About HITS, Inc.HITS, Inc. produces high quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the Village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York, and Virginia.

While hosting the richest weekend in show jumping at HITS-on-the-Hudson, HITS also formed the Triple Crown of Show Jumping. This includes the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix, presented by Mortgage Call, in Thermal, California, the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix in Ocala, Florida, and Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix, presented by Wells Fargo, in Saugerties, New York.